Battle of Mukden

The Battle of Mukden, the last major land battle of the Russo-Japanese War, was fought from 20 February to 10 March, 1905 between Japan and Russia near Mukden in Manchuria. The city is now called Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning province in China.

The Russian forces of 275,000 infantry, 16,000 cavalry and 1219 artillery pieces were under General Alexei Nikolajevich Kuropatkin. The 200,000 infantry, 7,300 cavalry and 992 artillery pieces of the Imperial Japanese Army force were lead by Field-Marshal Prince Oyama Iwao. This battle was the largest land battle of its time.

Background

Following the Battle of Liaoyang (24 August 1904 to 4 September 1904), Russian forces retreated to the river Sha Ho south of Mukden and regrouped. From 5 October 1904 to 17 October 1904, during the Battle of Shaho, the Russians unsuccessfully counter-attacked, however managed to temporarily slow the Japanese advance.

A second Russian counter-offensive, the Battle of Sandepu, fought from (25 January 1905 to 29 January [1905])) was likewise unsuccessful.

The fall of Port Arthur to General Nogi freed up the Japanese 3rd Army, which advanced north to reinforce the Japanese lines near Mukden in preparation for an attack.

By February 1905, the manpower reserves of the Japanese army had been drained. With the arrival of General Nogi's Third Army, Japan's entire fighting strength was concentrated at Mukden. The severe casualties, bitter climate, and approach of the Russian Baltic Fleet created pressure on Marshal Oyama to affect the complete destruction of the Russian forces, rather than just another victory from which the Russians could withdraw further into Manchuria.

Disposition of Forces

The Russian line to the south of Mukden was 90 miles long, with little depth and with a central reserve. On the right flank, in flat ground, was the Second Manchurian Army under General Baron von Kaulbars (who had replaced the unfortunate General Oskar-Ferdinand Kazimirovich Grippenberg). In the center, holding the railway and the highway was the Third Manchurian Army under General Bildering. The hilly terrain on the east flank was held by the First Manchurian Army under General Nikolai Linievich. This flank also held two-thirds of the Russian cavalry, under General Paul von Rennenkampf. General Kuropatkin has thus disposed his forces in a purely defensive layout, from which it would be difficult to impossible to execute an offensive without opening a major gap in the lines.

On the Japanese side, the Japanese 1st Army (General Kuroki) and 4th Army (General Nozu) advanced to the east of the rail line, and the 2nd Army (General Oku) to the west. General Nozu's Third Army was kept concealed behind the 2nd Army until the start of battle. A newly formed Japanese 5th Army under General Kawamura provided a major diversion on the Russian eastern flank. The 5th Army was much under strength, and consisted only of the 11th Division (from Port Arthur) and reservists.

General Kuropatkin was convinced that the main Japanese thrust would come from the mountainous eastern side, as the Japanese had proven themselves effective in such terrain, and the presence of the former 3rd Army veterans from the 11th Division in that area reinforced his convictions.

Field Marshal Oyama's plan was to form his 5 armies into a crescent to encircle Mukden, cutting off the possibility of Russian escape. He was explicit in his orders that combat within the city of Mukden itself was to be avoided. All during the war, the Japanese had pursued a meticulous civil affairs policy aimed at avoiding civilian casualties and keeping the Chinese populace on their side â€" a stark contrast with the previous First Sino-Japanese War and subsequent Second Sino-Japanese War.

The Battle

The battle opened with the Japanese 5th Army attacking the left flank of the Russian forces on 20 February 1905. On 27 February 1905 the Japanese 4th Army attacked the right flank, while other Japanese forces also attacked the Russian front lines. On the same day, the Japanese 3rd Army began its movement in a wide circle northwest of Mukden.

By 1 March 1905, action on the eastern and center fronts was largely static. The Japanese had made small advances but under heavy casualties. However, by 7 March 1905, General Kuropatkin began withdrawing forces from the eastern front to counter the Japanese 3rd Army's moves on the western flank of Mukden, and was so concerned about General Nogi's movements that he decided to lead the counterattack himself. The shifting of forces was from east to west not coordinated well by the Russians, causing the 1st and 3rd Manchurian Armies to all but disintegrate into chaos. This was the chance that Field Marshal Oyama had been awaiting for, and his orders to "attack" were changed to "pursue and destroy". Luck was further with the Japanese due to the late thaw in the weather. The Hun river remained frozen, and was not an obstacle to the Japanese attack.

All but encircled and with no hope for victory, General Kuropatkin gave the order to retreat to the north at 1845 on 9 March 1905. The Russian withdrawal was complicated by General Nozu's breach through Russian rearlines over the Hun River, and quickly turned into a rout. The panicked Russian forces abandoned their wounded, weapons and supplies in their flight north towards Tiehling.

At 1000 AM on 10 March 1905, Japanese forces occupied Mukden.

Conclusion

Russian casualties included 20,000 killed or missing, approximately 49,000 wounded, and about 20,000 taken prisoner. The Russians had also lost most of their combat supplies. Fearing further Japanese advances, General Kuropatkin ordered that the town of Tieling be put to the torch, and marched his remaining men 10 days further north to a new defense line at Hspingkai (modern Siping, Jilin province, China). The Japanese forces lost 15,892 men and officers killed, and 59,612 wounded. Although the Japanese were victorious, Field Marshal Oyama had lost about a quarter of his army, and had failed to achieve another "Sedan" and destroy the enemy completely.

Strategically the possession of Mukden meant little, but the defeat was one more reason to convince the Russian Czar Nicholas II of Russia to accept mediation by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905.

Formations

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